Finland: Alcohol consumption down 4.4% in 2024

Finland’s total alcohol consumption decreased by 4.4 percent last year compared to the previous year, according to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

In 2023, the amount of pure alcohol consumed was 8.3 litres per person aged 15 and over.

Total consumption includes both recorded and unrecorded alcohol use. Recorded consumption — covering retail and licensed sales — declined by 3.5 percent, amounting to approximately 7.2 litres of pure alcohol per capita. Within this, retail sales fell by 3.5 percent, while on-premise sales, such as in bars and restaurants, decreased by 5.6 percent.

Buying alcohol has become easier since last June, when grocery stores were permitted to sell fermented alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of up to eight percent.

Earlier this month, a majority of MPs responding to a Yle parliamentary survey took a negative view of a recent government proposal to allow grocery stores to sell most types of wine.

According to THL, overall alcohol consumption in Finland has generally been declining since 2007.